Aminah Nieves says she is happy Teonna Rainwater gets to experience love -- however briefly -- in 1923 Season 2.
While on the run, she reunites with her father, Runs His Horse, (Michael Spears) and sheepherder Pete Plenty Clouds (Jeremy Gauna), who becomes her fiance.
"it's like a breath of fresh air. It's everything I kind of wanted for Teonna in the beginning," Nieves told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"Season 1, you just see a very specific side of her," she said. "In Hollywood, I don't think [Native Americans'] love and our vast ability to love is really shown or our experiences as deeply [depicted], so, for her, to give that part of herself in Episode 1 and to be seen as an awkward kid -- she's 16 -- and to see a love that is already so strong and to see her kind of surrender into that is everything and I'm really happy that I was able to do that."
Teonna's experiences in Season 1 not only make her a wanted woman in the eyes of the law, but they also greatly scar her psychologically and emotionally."it's always gonna affect her," Nieves said.
"Even before, it always affected her. These are trials and tribulations that were kind of passed down from womb to womb," she added.
Yellowstone fans know that Teonna is somehow connected to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), who buys the Dutton family's enormous cattle ranch in 21st century Montana for a low price with the promise to never develop it.
"I kind of have to filter that [knowledge] out. She's the matriarch," Nieves said.
"She's the one that started everything," she added. "I know what I have to do, but I also don't want to fixate on it because she lives in her own breath, so I really just want to focus in on her more than anything of the legacy."
